The latest edition of Type Rules! is on the shelves and it was worth the wait. This is the 4th edition of Ilene Strizver’s book on typography and she notes in an e-mail that she spent around six months revising it for the current edition.

The book itself is comprehensive, covering a brief history of typography as well as all the topics one might need to create a professional product. And it’s also practical, with detailed “how to” instructions and exercises for the reader. This edition also includes Web videos.

My favorite part is the extensive use of visually interesting graphics and illustrations. According to Strizver, she assembled these by canvassing her broad contact list via email and social media as well as using input from her students. She also states that this edition provides updates on “type in motion” as well as typography in various digital media because professionals today must be “familiar, knowledgeable, and comfortable with how type and design behave on the full spectrum of surfaces and devices.”

Strizver wouldn’t predict whether we will see a 5th edition. But that’s not because typography has reached a plateau. Digital media continues to advance, and she notes that the fact that people read text on screen more, the improving quality of digital devices, and advances in Web-based type require us to continue learning and to be proficient “across a broad spectrum of technologies.”